MARION COUNTY, Fla. — The Florida Department of Transportation is planning major improvements to I-75 in Marion and Sumter counties.

What You Need To Know

  • I-75 sees an influx of traffic during holidays and spring break

  • FDOT says there's an incident on I-75 every 16 hours

  • Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is proposing widening I-75 in Marion and Sumter counties

  • FDOT has a long-term plan, calling it “I-75 Forward”

Called “I-75 Forward,” it’s in the same vein as "I-4 Ultimate."

Rhonda Napier takes I-75 daily to get from her home in Marion Oaks to her job in northern Marion County.

“If it’s a good day, I can be there in 20 minutes, 19 miles,” she said, “but if it’s a bad day, it can take up to an hour.”

Any influx of traffic creates reliability issues for Napier.

FDOT is aware of the problem, noting an uptick in issues on I-75 during holidays, spring break and when the University of Florida begins and ends for the semester.

“It’s three lanes of a parking garage because of all the visitors coming down here,” Napier said.

Traffic really backs up when there are crashes. FDOT said there’s an incident on I-75 every 16 hours. A crash closes all lanes of the interstate once every nine days, FDOT said.

“One time there was an accident and it blocked all lanes, and there was nothing between here and State Road 200 to get off, and we were stuck for three hours,” Napier said.

Under Governor Ron DeSantis’ budget proposal, he’s urging lawmakers to earmark $479 million to add lanes in both directions of I-75 from State Road 326 in Marion County to State Road 44 in Sumter County.

“It’s a Band-aid because it’s overdue,” said Napier, who said she thinks more needs to be done. She suggests something like express lanes and widening off-ramps.

This is just the first step. FDOT is looking at other improvements to I-75 and nine interchanges in Sumter and Marion counties, in a project called “I-75 Forward.”

Specific details are still being nailed down, but the department is still considering long-term solutions to make I-75 more reliable.

“I keep saying I don’t want to do another one of these holiday commutes to work. This is the last one. And it’s not,” said Napier, who had to push off retirement because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

If lawmakers approve the governor’s request to fund the widening project, construction on I-75 would begin in 2025.